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Foundation and Roman times



The city was founded in 25 BC. C. with the name of Emerita Augusta by Octavio Augusto, for the emeritus soldiers graduated from the Roman army, of two veteran legions of the Cantabrian Wars: Legio V Alaudae and Legio X Gemina. These legions were located in the pre-Roman town already existing [5] in exchange for giving the category of Roman citizens to the old settlers. The city was the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania. The term emeritus in Latin meant “retired” and referred to honorably retired soldiers. Its citizens were assigned to the Papiria tribe.



Thus begins a period of great splendor to which its magnificent buildings bear witness: the theater, the amphitheater, the circus, the temples, the bridges and aqueducts.



For centuries and until the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Mérida was a very important legal, economic, military, cultural center and one of the most flourishing populations in Roman times, which Ausonio classified the ninth place among the most outstanding of the Empire (even by ahead of Athens) and in the 3rd century it became the capital of the Diocese Hispaniarum.

Visigothic period and Arab invasion



In later times Mérida suffered raids from the barbarian peoples until the settlement of the Visigoths, who made it the capital of their kingdom, and therefore of Hispania, in the 6th century, under the rule of Agila I.



In the 6th century, the figures of various bishops, the so-called Holy Fathers of Mérida, stand out, and Christianity takes root strongly. This popular faith shows the figure of the Martyr Santa Eulalia, patron saint and perpetual mayoress of the city.



In 713, the Arab leader Musa ibn Nusair conquered the city and it became the capital of the Cora de Mérida. After several uprisings of the Mozarabic inhabitants who refused the Muslim invasion, the building of the citadel was ordered and the city was practically destroyed.



Mérida will be the Metropolitan Headquarters until 1119 when it will move to Santiago de Compostela.

Reconquest



At the beginning of the 13th century, in 1230, the Christian troops of King Alfonso IX of León, reconquered Mérida and made it the seat of the Priory of San Marcos de León of the Order of Santiago.



The Encomienda de Mérida, also called Casas Buenas de Mérida, consisted of the city of Mérida, the town of Arroyo and part of Puebla de la Calzada until it was sold to the counts of Montijo, along with the villages located around the city as Mirandilla, Aljucén, Carrascalejo, La Garrovilla, Calamonte, Trujillanos and San Pedro de Mérida. Later, Almendral de Mérida was founded as a town of the city, independent in 1536 with the name of Almendralejo.



Once the Mérida lands had been reconquered, the oldest episcopal see of Hispania in the city should have been replaced, but due to the denial of the bishops of Santiago de Compostela and Badajoz and the failure to comply with a papal order from the Vatican, it was not replaced.

Late middle ages and modern age



It will be at the time of the Catholic Monarchs when the city begins a political recovery thanks to the support of the Master of Santiago, Don Alonso de Cárdenas, defender of the cause of Isabel la Católica.



His contribution to the American Conquest and colonization will be numerous and significant. According to Navarro del Castillo, some 210 people left for the Indies, including two renowned captains in the conquest of Venezuela Juan Rodríguez Suárez and Garci González de Silva.

Palace of the Presidency of the Extremadura Government in Mérida.



With the territorial reorganization of Spain, carried out by Felipe V in 1720, the city was named capital of the Intendencia de Mérida.

French invasion and contemporary age



The French invasion will suppose for Mérida, as for the rest of Extremadura, a regrettable loss of part of its artistic historical heritage, but with time it will recover from these adversities, and as it has an adnected population, it will know how to motorize its future and put candles progress to their development.



At the fall of the Old Regime, the town became a constitutional municipality in the Extremadura region. Since 1834 head and seat of the Judicial Party of Mérida. In the 1842 census it had 986 households and 3,780 neighbors.



Subsequently, the situation changes, since as a railway junction in Mérida they have turned the city into an industrial and commercial hub on the rise. A development that was definitely supported with the designation of Mérida, in 1983, as Capital of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura.



Together with this political and industrial preponderance, the city has awakened, and continues to awaken, a great interest on the part of archaeologists and national, regional and local institutions that strive to bring to light the immense archaeological wealth that continues to be discovered.



These circumstances led to the Emeritense Archaeological Complex being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in December 1993. Previously, the city had twenty national monuments and some were waiting to be obtained; and by Decree of February 8, 1973, on the eve of commemorating its Bimillennial, Mérida was declared ´´Archaeological-Historical Complex´´, the only one that holds that name in Spain.



In 1994 the Archdiocese of Mérida-Badajoz was constituted, recovering, in this way, the ancient metropolitan headquarters of Mérida and returning the cathedral dignity to the temple of Santa María la Mayor, heir to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santa Jerusalem. The origins of this Archbishopric date back to Roman times, in which it had twelve suffragan bishoprics, according to the Edict of Milan.



Mérida is a Spanish city, capital of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, southwestern region of Spain, and headquarters of its government institutions. It is also the capital of the region of Tierra de Mérida - Vegas Bajas, located in the north of the province of Badajoz. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Mérida-Badajoz and of the Judicial Party of Mérida.



Mérida is geographically located almost in the center of the region, crossed by the Guadiana River and the Albarregas River and at an altitude of 217 meters.



The "Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida" was declared by Unesco, in 1993, a World Heritage Site, due to its important historical and monumental interest.



Economically, Mérida is a city of services, with a growing importance in the industrial sector and an almost extinct primary sector.



It has the title of Very Noble, Ancient and Loyal City of Merida.

Demography



In 2009, the INE census registered 56,395 inhabitants, with its metropolitan area exceeding 80,000 inhabitants [9] and its region had 115,000 inhabitants. In the municipal census of the Mérida City Council, as of October 1, 2009, the official figure is 59,386 inhabitants.



Although it is the third city with the highest number of inhabitants in Extremadura, it has a low population density (65.15 inhabitants / km²), due to the extension of its municipal area, one of the largest in Spain, with 865, 6 km². In comparison with that of the Spanish set (92.46 inhabitants / km²) it has a lower density and if we compare it with the Extremadura figure, it almost triples its density, situated in 2009 at 26.48 inhabitants / km².



By sex, 27,555 men and 28,840 women are registered in Mérida (INE 2009), which represents percentages of 48.86% and 51.13%, respectively. Compared with the Extremadura group (49.66% and 50.33%), in the city of Mérida a greater relative presence of women is observed.

Weather



Merida has a continental Mediterranean climate with Atlantic influence, due to the proximity of the Portuguese coast. Winters are mild, with lows that rarely drop below 0 ° C, and summers are hot, with highs that occasionally exceed 40 ° C.



As for rainfall, the usual thing is that between 450 and 500 mm are collected annually. The months with the highest rainfall are the last of the year: November and December. Summers are dry, however, it should be noted that in Mérida, as in the rest of southern Spain, drought cycles are common, ranging in duration between 2 and 5 years.



In autumn the climate is more unstable than in the rest of the year, with some frequent storms, often dry.



Both humidity and winds are low. However, the appearance of fogs is frequent, especially in the central months of Autumn and Winter.

Infrastructures and services



Apart from the many classic monuments found in the city, we can highlight as modern elements in Mérida its Ciudad Deportiva, IFEME, the Congress and Exhibition Palace (Nieto Sobejano Arquitéctos), the Guadiana Hydrographic Confederation Headquarters (Rafael Moneo), the State Public Library (Luis Arranz), the Lusitania Bridge over the Guadiana (Santiago Calatrava), the Morerías Building (Juan Navarro Baldeweg, headquarters of the councils of the Junta de Extremadura and where there are some important archaeological sites), Cultural Center ´´Alcazaba´´, General Archive of Extremadura, Factory of Leisure and Young Creation (José Selgas) and the School of Public Administration (Saénz de Oiza).



The ´´Hernán Cortés´´ Cultural Complex is also under construction, which will house several museums (Museum of Geology and Paleontology, Open Museum of Mérida, Railway Museum, Juan de Ávalos Museum, Rafael Ortega Museum ...), Film School and Audiovisual Arts, a large plaza with an open-air auditorium, a shopping gallery, multipurpose cultural halls, a 2,000-space car park, and administrative buildings for the County Council and the Mérida City Council.



The new Palace of Justice is also being built, a new building for the councils of the Extremadura Board (it will group the rest of the ministries scattered around the city that are not in the Morerías Building), headquarters of the Urgent Care and Emergencies Center of Extremadura 112, the new headquarters in the city of the Tax Agency, a public nursery and the new Commissioner of the CNP in the project called Mérida III Milenio. This project will be built in the most marginal neighborhood of the city, San Lázaro, and plans to revitalize and integrate it into the city.

Commerce



Mérida currently has two large shopping centers, the Carrefour Shopping Center and the La Corchera Shopping Center, and a leisure center, El Foro. In addition, the Open Shopping Center, which includes the main shopping streets in the center of Mérida around Calle Santa Eulalia and where all the Inditex firms and most of the national and international chains are located. This area has a Wi-Fi network, microclimate, W.C. public, parking, piped music ...



Two new shopping centers of 40,000 and 25,000 m² and a new shopping park are in the pipeline. In addition, another commercial park with more than 110,000 m² is under construction, where the installation of large commercial firms such as Decathlon, Urende, Kiabi, Toys´r´us, Norauto, Merkal and Aki is confirmed.

Industry



The industrial dynamism of the city has always been very great, due to its strategic position and communications hub. Most of the industrial activity is concentrated in the ´´El Prado´´ Industrial Park, which has more than 7000 workers and more than 2 million square meters of industrial land. In addition, there are other smaller industrial areas in the accesses to the city such as the Polígono Reina Sofia, Polígono Carrión and Polígono Cepansa.



A new Business and Logistics Park is currently under construction on the outskirts of the city called ´´ExpacioMérida´´, which will have an area of ​​some 207 ha, and the creation of an Intermodal Freight Center and Dry Port is in the pipeline.



Local parties



Roman Carnival of Mérida: in February. Declared of Regional Tourist Interest.

Holy Week in Mérida: March-April. Declared of Regional Tourist Interest.

September Fair: these are the most important festivals in the capital and are held during the first week of September.

Extremadura Day: September 8.

Feria Chica: important gypsy fair held on the festivity of October 12.

Santa Eulalia de Mérida, takes place on December 10. Feast of marked religious character in which the martyrdom of Santa Eulalia, patron saint of the city, is commemorated.



Cultural events



Merida Festival. Prestigious Classical Theater Festival held during the months of July and August.

European Youth Festival of Greco-Roman Theater. In April.

Via de la Plata Festival. In the month of July, metal music festival.

Extremúsika. On April.

Teknofilia Festival. In the month of June, electronic music festival.

Extremadura Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. In November. Mérida is one of its headquarters together with Badajoz and Cáceres.

Unpublished Film Festival. In December.

International Audiovisual Show ´´El Mes + Corto´´. In October, the city is one of its venues.

Extremadura International Cineposible Festival. In March, the city is one of its venues.

Festival Play !. In the last quarter of the year, the city is one of its headquarters.



Likewise, numerous cultural acts and events of all kinds are offered at the Alcazaba Cultural Center, Sala Trajano, Maria Luisa Theater, at the Congress and Exhibition Palace, at IFEME, at the Young Leisure and Creation Factory, at the Young Leisure Center. ´´El Economato´´, in the Cultural Complex ´´Hernán Cortes´´, in the Bullring, Fairgrounds, in the Youth Hostel ´´El Prado´´ and in the numerous bars and pubs of the city.

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